


By Any Other Name

by merlins_sister



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-13
Updated: 2011-10-13
Packaged: 2017-10-24 14:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/264424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlins_sister/pseuds/merlins_sister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The power of a name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Any Other Name

Trip shifted slightly in the bed, pulling the sheet further round him and his lover. She lay with her head on his chest, silky black hair fanning out in a caress across her shoulders and on to his torso. He gently ran his fingers over her hair, savouring the feeling of lightness. They lay in silence, as they had done for some time that evening, enjoying just being together, being themselves.

Trip closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing, feeling the outbreath rush across his chest. There were times when he couldn't believe that they were here like this. There had been so many obstacles, so many problems. There were still more to come. He knew that. But he had finally trusted his instincts about his feelings for her. And her for him, eventually courting her into his arms. He understood her reluctance. There were issues. An Ensign and Commander weren't meant to be together. But nothing was insurmountable. They would find a way to be together.

Yet when he considered their relationship so far he could not shake one question from his mind. It was trivial, inconsequential. But it was there. A tiny hole in his confidence. He felt foolish even having to ask it. But they had both agreed that although they couldn't be honest with all those surrounding them they would be with each other. Regardless of how trivial their worry seemed.

"Hoshi," he said quietly.

Hoshi turned her head to look at him, her eyes sleepy with contentment. "Mmm," she replied gently.

Trip looked at the deep brown eyes, and found himself swimming in them again, distracted from his question by the emotions running inside him. He caught his breath in his throat as Hoshi's love for him radiated out of those eyes straight at him. How on Earth was she expecting him to breathe if she kept looking at him like that? Running his fingers instinctively down her back, he watched as she closed her eyes with pleasure, a slow sigh escaping from her lips.

"Sweetheart," he managed to continue after a moment, "Why did it take you so long to call me something other than Commander?"

Hoshi looked confused. "I mean," explained her lover, "I called you Hoshi from the go, never Ensign, I don't think. Didn't you like me when we first met?"

A smile stretched across Hoshi's face, settling gently there as she considered her answer. After a moment's thought she replied, "It made you safe."

A jolt of anxiety ran through Trip. "Hoshi, I would never hurt you....."

"No,no, that's not what I meant," she was quick to reassure him. "I trusted you with my life as soon as we met. What I meant is......it made you untouchable. You were the Commander, I was the Ensign. Any feelings I had, any attraction I felt......it couldn't be acted on so I was safe. So I called you Commander to remind me of that." Hoshi paused, her smile turning more mischievous. "Didn't count on you being so persuasive that it should be otherwise though," she continued. Leaning forward, she kissed him slowly. It was Trip's turn to sigh, as she pulled away again.

Looking at him carefully she asked, "Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason," he replied. "Just wondered."

Trip let his mind drift over her answer. It made sense. There had been points in time where he had worked hard to ignore his feelings as well.

"So when you started calling me Trip...." he continued, his mind starting to put the pieces together.

Hoshi looked up again. "We had become such friends, that it was getting a bit silly to keep calling you Commander. I thought I was in control of my head and my heart by then so risked moving on to Trip," she replied simply.

Trip considered this further, a small smile teasing at his lips. "Which means," he continued eventually, the last piece of the puzzle clicking into place, "that when you started calling me Charlie......." Trip ran his fingers down her spine again, and felt the shiver of pleasure run through her. Eyes that had closed at that sensation opened again, desire darkening her pupils. She leant forward, hunger on her face, her smile reduced to playing at the tips of her mouth.

"I had completely lost control."

Hoshi leant forward, kissing him deeply, her body moving until she lay on top of him. Breaking the kiss, she took her lips down his neck and on to his chest. As all sensation apart from her disappeared from his world, Trip sighed "Hoshi," only then realising the power of a name.


End file.
